Process of concentration of ores



UNITED STATES PATENT our-"ice.

OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO LUCKEN BAOH SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF Specification of Letters Patent. Patented May 23, 1922,

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROYER LUCKENBACH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Process of Concentration of Ores, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates the concentration of ore in which the mineral values are separated from the earthy or rocky gan'gue of the ore by flotation whereby the valuable mineral content of the ore will be caused to float upon the surface of a pulp formed of finely divided ore and water, and the gangue will not be so floated but will sink in the water.

The flotation processes at present in use are applicable generally to the recovery of metallic sulphides, and in most cases it is necessary for eflicient working, that the pulp be acidified, and in some situations the pulp must be heated, Suchprior processes will not successfully float carbonate, oxides and silicates of the metals.

The objects of the present invention are to produce a process whereby mineral values may be separated from the earthy or rocky gangue constituents ,of the ore and floated on the surface of the pulp; to provide a frothing and mineral selecting process characterized by the absence of free oils and greases in the mixture employed in the pulp; to provide a process wherein mineral carbonates, oxides and silicates, as Well as free metals and the sulphides of such metals will be separated from the gangue; to provide a frothing and gathering .process wherein certain non-metallic minerals, such as graphite and sulphur, may be separated from their gangue, and for producing a compound having highly eflicient frothing properties without reducing the mineral gathering qualities thereof.

These and further objects will more fully appear in the following-specification and claims. 1

The invention consists in the mixing of finely divided ore with water to form a pulp, ad].

to which is added a small quantity of a reagent comprising a liquefied resin or combination orresins. The resin or resins may be liquefied by means of an. alkali, or.- alcohol, and may be combined with the reaction Serial No. 434,758.

product of an alkaline metal and a fatty acid.

The reagent may if desired be employed in conjunction with a normally unsaponifiable oil or oily substance, in which case the reagent will act as a frother While. at the same time it will supplement what ever mineral gathering properties the oil 01 oily substance may possess.

The preferred resin for use in compounding the reagent is lac, and the same may be used in any of its commercial forms, such as seed lac, stick lac or shellac. The preferred fatty acid is oleic' acid, and the preferred alkali is caustic soda. Ammonia may be employed instead of or in conjunction with the caustic soda.

The lac may be liquefied in alcohol before being mixed with the other ingredients, and

in some situations, and with certain ores, it is desirable that an excess of alcohol be employed.

The fatty acid is not present as such in the mixture but is in a neutralized form such as sodium oleate. The resin in the reagent, at least, is in neutralized form because of the presence of the alkali.

The preferred reagentvis composed of a mixture in which water, lac, caustic soda, alcohol, and oleic acid are employed. When the mixture is completed it comprises the diluted reaction product of lac and alcohol, and the reaction product of oleic acid and caustic soda, the reagent as a Whole having analkaline reaction. j

'The reagent may be compounded in the following proportions: Water. 85 cc., alcohol 15 cc., shellac '5 grams, caustic soda 2.5 grams and sodium oleate 5 grams. In a test on a Utah copper capping "carbonate ore, containing a small percentage of sulphide, in a 'Janney laboratory machine the following result was obtained:

A GL Cu Pertcetnp.

Product. Wt. grs. c 0n- Cu 3 tamed. tamed.

Feed 500.0 7 .78 3.90 100.00 Concentrates 38. 6 3 78 1 46 37. 4 'ngs... 71.8 1.26 .90 23.1 Tails 386.4 .38 1.47 37.5

' In a test run on the same ore and under the .sameconditigns but with a reagent compounded with water 100 c. 0., sodium oleate 5 gr., shellac 5 gr., caustic soda 2% gr., the following result was secured:

water was Brooklyn tap water, and the time was 15 minutes. The froth which was raised in the first five minutes is the concentrates, the rest is the middlings.

The lac-alcohol solution, when used, is preferably made by dissolving 6 oz. of lac in 1 gallon of alcohol. Alcohol in addition to that of the lac solvent may be employed in the mixture.

The sodium oleate and the sodlum resinate form aperfect emulsion and the reagent is free of oil and acid, and is not actively acid in its efiects on the mineral content of the ore. The reagent has a particular aflinity for the sulphides, carbonates and oxides of nearly all minerals in practically every form in which such minerals are found in nature. The reagent will select and float the mineral values resulting in great economy of operation.

'In operating on sulphide .ores a reagent compounded of water, an alkali, and lac, which latter may have been previouslydissolved in alcohol, or a mixture formed of water, oleic acid and an alkali may be used.

- Either of the above reagents will form a perfect emulsion. There will be no free oil. or free acid in the mixture. A strong, free flowing froth will be formed, and this froth will float sulphidesas well as free metals.

In working certain ores, or certain grades of the same ore, or ore of certain fineness some of the ingredients may be omitted.

The following reagents may be used:

1. Water, and the reaction product of caustic soda and oleic acid.

2. 'Water, and the I reaction product of caustic soda and lac.

3. Water, and the reaction product of caustic soda and shellac and alcohol solution.

4. Water, the reaction product of caustic soda and a fatty acid, and the reaction product of caustic. soda and shellac.

5. Water, the reaction product of caustic soda and a fatty acid, and shellac and alcohol solution.

6. Any of the above reagents with the addition of ammonia.

Instead of caustic soda other alkalies, such are not intended to form an exhaustive list of substances suitable for the purpose.

The proportions of the various ingredients of the reagent may vary within wide limits, depending on the character of the ore to be worked and on other conditions, and more or less be supplied to the pulp as required.

The reagent may, if desired, be made up in separate batches and be placed in the pulp separately. The operator will thus have complete control of the process. The proportions of the various ingredients may thus be varied as the operating conditions vary.

In operation, a pulp of ore and water of the proper fluidity is placed in a flotation apparatus and thoroughly aerated, preferably by agitation. The reagent is admitted to the pulp and because of the aeration will form bubbles throughout the pulp. The mineral constituents of the ore will adhere to the bubbles and be floated to the surface of the pulp while the gangue will not so adhere and will sink to the bottom of the apparatus. The mineral bearing froth may be removed from the surface of the pulp, and .the values are separated from the reagent in any desired manner.

The water may now be separated from the gangue, as by settling, and reused to form a new pulp, and because of the presence of some, at least, of the ingredients of the reagent remaining therein, lesser amounts of tlllltise substances need be supplied to the new p The values may be released from the reagent of the froth, in part at least. by settlin or pressing after thebubbles have been bro en, and the reclaimed reagent be reused.

Instead of placing the reagent in the pulp as above described the same may be added to the water before the pulp is formed.

By means of the present process not only free metals and their salts may be gathered and floated, but certain non-metallic minerals, for example, graphite, sulphur and their chemical compounds may be recovered. Any mineral substance which is essentially Water repellant, and will not be wetted by water, may be floated.

, This application is a continuation in part of applicants application entitled Concentration of ores, filed August 16, 1917, and numbered serially 186,642.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent stautes, the principle of the invention has been described together with what is now considered the best embodiment there- 13C of, .but it is desired to have it understood that the embodimentdescribed is merely illustrative, and that the invention may be carried out in other ways.

Having now described the invention what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. The process of concentrating ores, which comprises adding to a pulp composed of finely dividedore and water the reaction product of an alkali and lac, aerating the mixture to form a. froth, and separating the froth from the remainder of the pulp.

2. The process of concentrating ores, which comprises adding to. a pulp composed of finely divided ore and water thereaction product of an alkali and lac and alcohol, aeratin the mixture to .form a froth, and separating the froth from theremainder of the pulp.

3. The process of concentrating ores, which comprises adding to a pulp composed of finely divided ore and water; the reaction product of caustic soda and lac, aerating the mixture to form a froth, and separating the froth from the remainder of the pulp. 1. The process of concentrating ores, which comprises adding to a pulp composed of finely divided ore and water the reaction product of caustic soda and lac and alcohol, aerating the mixture to form a froth, and separating the froth from the remainder of the pulp.

5."The process of concentrating ores, which comprises adding to a pulp formedof finely divided ore and water the reaction product of an alkali, lac and ammonia, aerating the mixture to form a froth, and separating the froth from the remainder of the 6. The process of concentrating ores,

. which comprises adding to a pulp formed of finely divided ore and water the reaction product of a caustic alkali, lac and ammonia, aerating the mixture to form a froth, and separating the froth from the remainder of the'pulp.

7; The process of concentrating ores,

' which comprises adding to a pulp formed of finely divided ore and water the reaction of caustic soda, lac .and ammonia, aerating the mixture to form a froth, and separating the froth from the remainder of the pulp.

8. The process of concentrating ores,

which comprises adding to a pulp formed of finely divided ore and water the reaction product of an alkali, lac dissolved in alcohol and ammonia, aerating the mixture to form product of an alkali, a fatty acid and lac.

aerating the mixture to form a froth, and separating the froth from the remainder of the pulp.

10. The process of concentrating ores, which comprises adding to a pulp composed of finely divided ore and water the reaction product of an alkali, a fatty acid and lac and alcohol, aerating the mixture to form afroth, and separating the froth from the remainder of the pulp.

11. The process of concentrating ores, which comprises adding to a pulp composed of finely divided ore and water the reaction product of caustic soda, oleic acid and lac. aerating the mixture to form a froth. and separating the froth from the remainder of the pulp. i A

12-. The process of concentrating ores. which comprises adding to apulp composed of finely divided ore and water' there-action product of caustic soda, oleic acid and lac. and alcohol, aerating the mixture to form a froth, and separating the froth from the re mainder of the pulp.

13. The process of concentrating ores, which comprises adding to a pulp formed of finely divided ore and water the reaction product of an alkali. a fatty acid. lac. ammonia, aerating the mixture to form a froth. and separating the froth from the remainder of the pulp.

14. The process of concentrating ores. which comprises adding to a pulp formed of finely divided ore and. water the reaction of caustic soda, oleicacid, lac and ammonia, aerating the'mixture to form a froth, and separating the froth from the remainder of the pulp.

15. The process of concentrating ores.

Witnesses;

A. E. Ramon, J. F. Cowman. 

